Winter Catalog for Bookstores

We all succeed with the MIBA Winter Catalog. With this powerful marketing tool, the entire indie sales channel collectively gets behind the most exciting books to sell in MIBA bookstores during the holiday season. We collaborate with publishers, wholesalers, and booksellers to make sure the catalog books are purchased by our booksellers, merchandised in our bookstores, and sold to book lovers throughout the Midwest.

You should know:

The first 1,000 catalogs shipped to stores or newspapers are free. If your store sells new books, and is looking to build a stronger customer base, the catalog is the perfect way to do that inexpensively.

• While we encourage the investment to customize the covers for branding and personalizing the catalog to your store, it is optional.

• Start early! Catalog orders can require a good deal of information and assets that may take time to collect. Beginning the ordering process as soon as possible will give you the time you need to complete your order by August 7th.

What books are in the Winter Catalog?

This title list is regularly being updated, keep checking back!

MIBA is partnering with Matchbook Marketing for the 2026 catalog.

Click on the "Order Form" button below to create and submit your catalog order.

Pricing

• Custom front and back cover, you design the graphics: $175
• Custom front and back cover, Matchbook designs the graphics using your logo and text: $225
• Custom inside front cover: $175
• Catalogs shipped to store or newspapers: $30 per box of 500
  • The first 1,000 catalogs shipped to stores or newspapers are free
• Catalogs mailed via customer list or saturation: $0.30 per catalog
• Point of sale items:
  • Poster (22-inches x 28-inches), $30
  • 16 Shelf talkers, $20
  • 50 Bookmarks, $10

Get Ready!

• August 7: Bookstore orders due, including all customized files
• September 4: Deadline to approve custom covers with Matchbook
• September 11: Saturation mailings finalized
• November 1-5: Saturation and customer list catalogs arrive in home
• November 1-5: Boxes of catalogs arrive at bookstores and newspapers

Here are some ideas for maximizing the catalog after you place your order: 

August through October

• Order catalog books direct from the publisher
  • Pay special attention to titles that will do well in your store and really get behind them -- order in larger numbers 
  • Create a custom display strategy with face-outs, a special section, shelf-talkers and more
• Let us help you plan your in-store display -- purchase point of sale items during the ordering process
• Plan your digital marketing strategy.
  • Use MIBA's digital assets, publisher resources, and DIY digital marketing templates
• Arrange to deliver catalogs to local hotels, tourist agencies, retail partners, business alliances, etc. to reach holiday travelers
• Exchange your catalogs with other local businesses' promotional materials and hand out each others
• Prepare your staff to hand-sell catalog titles, create a playful staff competition

Custom Front & Back Cover (examples from 2025)

Bookstores are encouraged to replace the standard MIBA branding on the catalog cover with their logo and store info (address, website, store hours, etc.). On the back, you can add specific store messaging such as a coupon for purchasing catalog titles or additional store information. Click here and look above to view examples of a customized front, back, and inside front covers.

• Submit just the logo and text and Matchbook Marketing will design it for you, $225
• Submit the completed graphic you’d like to appear on the catalog for us to insert into the design, $175

What you'll need for ordering

• Store logo: For the custom front cover
  • Specs: Black & white (NOT grayscale), minimum 300 dpi as a .pdf, .jpg, .tif, .psd, or .ai file
• Text for front cover: Store info you'd like to include (address, website, contact info, store hours, etc.)
• Text for back cover: Include the details of either additional messaging to customers or a coupon offer to incentivize shoppers to find more books.
• Store postal address: This is the address that will appear on the back cover as the return mailing address. This must be a physical address (not a PO Box) where mail can be received

Timing and submitting your order:

• The logo, text, and address are due August 7th.

Custom Inside Front Cover, $175

This is another opportunity to replace the standard MIBA branding on the inside front cover. The internal front cover has a full color border designed by us with a black and white inside graphic designed by you. Click here and see image to the right to view examples of a customized front, back, and inside front covers.

Pro tip: Get creative with the inside front cover. There's a lot of possibilities.

• Partner with a local tourism group to promote your region
• Sell ads to other local businesses in your area to offset your catalog costs
• Feature non-book items your store sells
• Feature a holiday event series
• Do you hold holiday fundraisers or collect donations? Advertise it here!

Inside front cover specs: 4.5" W x 7.75" H, black and white (not grayscale), high-quality, .jpg, .png, .ai, or print-ready PDF

Timing and submitting your order: Designing this graphic is your responsibility so please plan ahead. Final inside front cover files are due August 7th.

Catalogs to store: $30 per box of 500

The first 1,000 catalogs shipped to store or newspapers are free. You may choose to have catalogs shipped to your store for you and your booksellers to manually distribute to your customers. The catalog makes a great bag-stuffer at the register. Many stores team up with other area businesses or chambers of commerce to stock the catalog in their area.

What you'll need for ordering

• Number of catalogs you want to ship to your store. Must be in quantities of 500

Catalogs to newspaper(s): $30 per box of 500

First 1,000 catalogs shipped to store or newspapers are free.

This method of distribution ships boxes of catalogs directly to your area newspaper(s) for insertion. You will need to coordinate directly with your newspaper(s) for the cost and timing of insertion. The cost to ship boxes to newspapers is $30 per box. The first 1,000 catalogs shipped to your store or newspapers are free.

Talk with your newspaper about the flexibility of insertion dates and the possibility for storing catalogs if they arrive early.

Requirements for newspaper insertion

• You are responsible for coordinating costs and timing directly with your newspaper(s)
• The front & back cover should be customized. While this is not strictly a requirement, it is highly recommended. Without your store name, potential customers will not know where to shop

What you'll need for ordering

• Newspaper information including name, address, contact person, and phone number. The address you provide should be the location where the newspaper receives boxes for insertion. This is often different from a newspaper's office location
• Number of catalogs shipped to each newspaper must be in quantities of 500

Catalog Specs: (Your newspaper will want this info) One single catalog weighs 0.8528 oz. and is 6 x 10.5 inches

Direct mail: We offer two direct mail options

1. Customer list mailing (aka: in-house list, bulk list): $0.30 per catalog - Reach existing customers

Mail catalogs directly to your existing customer mailing list. You provide us with your customer mailing list and we mail the catalogs to them. No need for any additional work on your part.

Requirements for customer mailing list

• The front and back cover must be customized (postal requirement)
• Minimum of 200 addresses on your mailing list. We can use saturation mailing to supplement if needed to reach the minimum

What you'll need for ordering

• Number of addresses on your customer mailing list
• Excel or .csv file with your customer mailing information. Must be formatted with: recipient name, street address, suite/apartment/unit #, city, state, zip code. Click here to download an excel template

2. Saturation mailing: $0.30 per catalog - Reach new customers

With saturation mailing, catalogs are sent to every home on a zip code mailing route that you select. Picture this as the route your mail-person walks/drives in a single day. If you've ever received a restaurant coupon flyer or the local car dealership's new line-up postcard, then you know about saturation mailing. Saturation mailing is a great way to entice new customers to your store and one of our most popular catalog marketing options.

Catalogs can be sent to homes in a radius around your store, or you can select specific mailing routes to deliver coupons.

Pro tip: Determine your catalog budget first and use that number to determine how many catalogs you want to mail. Understanding how many catalogs you want to mail will help narrow or expand the area you saturate with catalogs.

Requirements for saturation mailing

• The front and back cover must be customized (postal requirement)
• Catalogs must be sent to the entire mailing route
• Additional follow up is required to finalize your saturation mailing

What you'll need for ordering

• Number of catalogs you would like to mail via saturation mailing. This will be used to provide you with zip code routes that match the number of catalogs you would like to mail. (Without this, the options are overwhelming.)
• If you would like to target specific zip codes, you'll need to provide those zip codes